Yuga Labs Is Writing the Book on CryptoPunks—Literally

Six years after launching, kick-starting the NFT art movement, and setting the template for countless profile picture (PFP) projects to follow, CryptoPunks is getting its own official book.

CryptoPunks IP owner Yuga Labs announced the project today in partnership with Zak Group, the design studio behind the book “Icons” from Nike and the late designer, Virgil Abloh. The book, due out in the winter, will “detail every Punk, pixel by pixel,” highlighting the artwork of the 10,000 Ethereum avatars and the sizable impact they’ve had since launch.

“CryptoPunks is a collision between art, design, and the internet in the 21st century,” said Zak Group Creative Director, Zak Kyes. “This book is an opportunity to give shape to culture in real-time. Together with Yuga Labs, we have invited artists, technologists, curators—and of course the Punks themselves—to create an all-in-one DIY user manual, archive, and catalogue raisonnè.”

The original creators of the CryptoPunks, Matt Hall and John Watkinson of Larva Labs, will contribute to the book, as well notable digital artists and community members—including Mike “Beeple” Winkelmann, Art Blocks founder Erick “Snowfro” Calderon, pseudonymous collector 6529, and entrepreneur gmoney.

Furthermore, Yuga Labs said that it will share the process of creating the book along the way, and include direct community input in the finished product. The book will feature “untold stories” around the project, per Yuga, and include content pulled from the official CryptoPunks Discord and Twitter, too.

CryptoPunks launched as a free mint on Ethereum in 2017, and the pixel PFPs surged in value in early 2021 as the broader NFT market saw explosive demand.

To date, the project has generated over $2.1 billion worth of trading volume, per data from CryptoSlam, and a single CryptoPunk sold for $23.7 million last year. Currently, the Ethereum NFTs start at just over $89,000 worth of ETH on secondary markets—down significantly from a peak “floor price” above $417,000 in November 2021.

Larva Labs sold the CryptoPunks IP to Yuga—creator of the popular Bored Ape Yacht Club project—in March 2021 for an undisclosed price, alongside Larva’s Meebits IP. Yuga Labs has since granted CryptoPunks holders commercialization rights for their owned artwork, and emphasized the project’s historical value, including through NFT donations to art museums.